15 goons of extractors hurt in police firing in Sylhet

Fifteen goons of illegal stone extractors were injured in a clash with police near Boubazar in Companiganj upazila of Sylhet yesterday afternoon while the law enforcers were returning to the upazila headquarters from a drive against illegal stone extraction in railway reserved area at Bholaganj.
Around 400 people equipped with sticks threw brick chips at police during the clash.
Police fired 14 rubber bullets to disperse them, injuring 15 persons, including the upazila Awami League Organising Secretary Yakub Ali's younger brother Mosharraf Hossain.
Of the injured, 10, including Mosharraf, were admitted to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital.
Earlier at 12:00 noon the Upazila Nirbahi Officer Asif Ikram, along with environment directorate officials and police, conducted the drive against illegal stone extraction and fined three persons Tk 5,000 each.
Bangladesh Railway has 350 acres of land in the reserved area at bordering Bholaganj.
The team also damaged 35 motorised machines, locally called “Boma machine”, used for extracting stones from under the earth.
Companiganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Delwar Hossain said some organised groups blessed by different political parties, including ruling Awami League, engaged in such malpractice.
However, the upazila AL General Secretary Aftab Uddin denied the allegation, saying that a vested quarter was involved in it abusing the name of AL.